COMMENT | The Land Acquisition Act 1960 provides for the state to acquire land from anyone for a public purpose, including the construction or expansion of public amenities like drainage and transportation, such as roads and railways.

With these vast powers wrested, the state authorities can acquire any piece of land, and the law provides for compensation to the owners.

There have been accusations and court decisions in which the application to acquire was deemed to have been made illegally or in bad faith.

The much-publicised case involving Semantan Estates and the government is a case in point....